Turtle Island Native Network invites you to discuss issues related to the legacy of Indian Residential Schools in Canada and Indian Boarding Schools and Mission Schools in the United States. E-Mail us at turtleislandnativenetwork@gmail.com

July 25, 2013 - Across Canada today people are gathering to commemorate Aboriginal children and their families impacted by residential schools, and to call on the Harper government to "Honour the Apology to Residential School Survivors".

The following is a Message from National Chief Shawn A-in-chut Atleo on behalf of the Assembly of First Nations Executive, Elders Council, Women's Council and Youth Council.

"Today, we gather to acknowledge the First Nations children, their families, their communities, their nations and all those who suffered the devastating impacts of the residential schools. We acknowledge today, as well, those who were the unwilling and unknowing subjects of horrendous biomedical experiments that took place in those schools. To those who did not survive the schools, we mourn your memory and your sacrifice and join your families in prayer. Today, we raise our voices and call for the Government of Canada to fully honour its apology to the survivors of the residential schools, to release all documents related to this sad chapter in our shared history and to give life to the words that were spoken by the Prime Minister on that important day. To the survivors - the Mothers and Fathers, Aunties and Uncles, Sisters and Brothers, Grandmothers and Grandfathers, Friends and Family, those who are still with us and those who have left the circle of Creation - we offer our highest blessing, our highest honour and our utmost gratitude. We are here as First Nations only because you endured, because you ensured that your stories and your truth would not die away or fade. Your legacy is a testament to the resilience of our cultures and to your own personal strength. We wish you love and peace, wherever you may be.

As National Chief, on behalf of the full Assembly of First Nations and our Elders, Youth and Women's Councils, I want to thank the people from all walks of life, from all faiths and from all cultures that are taking part today in commemorations across the country. This is how we as individual citizens of nations can begin together our long walk to reconciliation and healing. To those who gave their time to organize these commemorations, we thank you for bringing us together under the banner of justice, respect, truth and reconciliation.

Our first and last words today go to all those who were taken from their families and forced into the residential schools. Know that we will support you on your journey to healing. Know that we will ensure everyone in this land confronts the reality of our shared history so that we may move forward, together. And know that we will never allow this to happen again."

Canadians from many cultural communities call on Feds to #HonourTheApology to Residential School Survivors

ACROSS CANADA (Venues below) - Today, Canadians, newcomers, First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples from all walks of life and religious denominations will reflect upon the impacts of Canada’s residential schools in a national moment of silence, prayer, and commemoration. They are calling on the federal government to release all documents pertaining to the residential schools in Canada to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission IMMEDIATELY, commission a national inquiry into the biomedical experiments on First Nations communities, and to work toward the end of continued violence toward Indigenous peoples in Canada.

In response to University of Guelph historian Ian Mosby published research that First Nations communities – and specifically thousands of children in residential schools – were unknowing subjects in biomedical experiments in malnourishment and hunger by federal government officials between 1942-52, we call on the federal government to honour its 2008 apology and - as promised – shoulder the responsibility of telling the complete story of what happened in the Residential School system.

We are calling on all people of all faiths and backgrounds to attend and participate. Leaders from the Islamic, Christian, Multi-denominational, Japanese, and other cultural communities will join us. All are welcome.

We are also asking those who are in good health (and able to do so) to fast in honour of survivors of these experiments.

About the Apology:On June 11, 2008, the Prime Minister of Canada offered an apology to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit survivors of the residential school system. Although under a court order, the federal government has been withholding millions of documents from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). These documents contain details surrounding the movement/disappearance of children, sickness or diseases, and the treatment students endured. Honouring the apology means releasing the documents so the TRC can fulfill its mandate and allow all Canadians to learn the truth about this painful era and move together toward reconciliation.